Elk River's population continued to grow following a slow period caused by the civil war. These early settlers typically came from New England. The Orono-Elk River area continued to grow until by 1860 it had reached a population of 723 people. Grist mills and a starch factory, which took advantage of the potato fields to the west, were built. In the latter half of the 19th century, agriculture and dairy farming replaced lumber as the base of Elk River's economy. In 1855, the area by the dam was platted and the town of Orono (known as Upper Town) was created. Their dam created the first lobe of Lake Orono (called the Mill Pond), which extended from the present day dam to Orono Cemetery Point. Jamieson, a native of Orono, Maine, saw the potential of the water power of the Elk River and purchased the claim from Lane. A large number of early settlers came from Maine and nearly all of them were experts in lumbering. Silas Lane opened up a farm near the old trading post site, making his claim in section 33 in 1850. The two rivers and the Red River Trail, which passed nearby, made this area a good location for commerce. Bottineau also built a hotel in 1850 on the bank of the Mississippi about a half mile below the mouth of the Elk. The trading post stood on a bluff just north of the present day bridge across the Elk River on main street. French fur trader and guide Pierre Bottineau bought the post and cabin from Folsom. Folsom moved his family to the place and built a log cabin. David Frederic Faribault, son of French-Canadian fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault built a trading post near the confluence of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers in 1846, which he later sold, in 1848, to H.M. Zebulon Pike passed through the area on his 1805 exploration of the Upper Mississippi River and named the Elk River after the herds of elk he saw in the area. Rivers The Elk River Water Tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Two battles between the Dakota and Ojibwe took place where the Elk River meets the Mississippi in 17. This natural boundary between the prairie and woods was also a boundary between Indian nations. To the south of Elk River lies the prairie. These hills are made up of coarse materials which is the reason gravel mining is so prevalent in Elk River, and also the reason much of the area is not considered good farmland for culture and agriculture use. The last glacier to traverse Minnesota is responsible for the creation of the hardwood-forested hills where Elk River is nestled. ( August 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.

Elk river